Time Passes By
by graceless angels
Summary: Percy and Annabeth. They were always one and the same. Until, of course, they broke up. Annabeth moved across the country to live in Washington, while Percy stayed in New York. When Annabeth moved back to New York, did anyone expect to see what she found? Percy. With a child.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Percy and Annabeth. They were always one and the same. Until, of course, they broke up. Annabeth moved across the country to live in Washington, while Percy stayed in New York. When Annabeth moved back to New York, did anyone expect to see what she found? Percy. With a child.

Line Break

Annabeth

"_What do you mean, break up?" Percy yelled. _

"_I mean, I can't do this anymore! I can't live with the constant glaring and letters; all because I'm still with you!"_

"_We're breaking up because you can't live with a few jealous girls?" _

"_No, because- because I don't love you anymore! And this isn't a breakup! This is me, DUMPING your ass! Goodbye, Percy." _

I flashed back to reality. I wasn't in Percy's apartment, back in New York. I was in Olympia, Washington, running mom's architecture firm.

"Annabeth?" my co-worker, Daniel, asked. "You okay? You're pale."

"Fine," my voice came out in a whisper. I cleared my throat. "Fine," I repeated.

"O-okay. Anyways, call for you on line two."

"Thanks Dan," I said, grabbing my heavy office phone. "Hello?"  
_"Annabeth!" _Rachel's shrill voice came. _"I've been waiting for hours!" _

My lips formed into a smile. "Rach, it's been a few minutes."

"_Still!" _

I laughed; really just a small chuckle. "What's up?"

"_Nothing much. Camp is crowded. The gods need to learn how to keep it in their pants, for Hades' sake!" _

"Anything else?" I asked, as I shuffled around the papers on my overloaded desk.

"_Not really. Travis and Katie's kid got… delivered." _

"Seriously? That's great. Girl or boy?"

"_Both." _

"Seriously?"

"_No, girl. Lucy Mae Stoll." _

"Nice name," I commented, still working away. My mind wandered back to that summer day; when me and Percy were talking about if we ever had kids we'd name her or him after Thalia or Luke. I remember how he suggested Sally for a middle name, and how I agreed.

But that was the past. Percy was my past; Percy _is _my past.

"_-Anyways- Annabeth? Are you even listening? Annie…!" _

"What? No, I'm listening. Um… yeah."

"_Anyways, they want you to come see her! Annabeth, it's been years since you've been in New York; not since you and Percy-" _Rachel stopped speaking with a halt. She had gone too far.

I bit my lip in anticipation; I could not continue this topic. It was all up to Rachel.

"_Um, anyways," _Rachel cleared her throat. _"Katie hasn't seen you in ages, and she wants to name you godmother, so please, a quick few days of a visit? Please? We could go shopping, talk, catch up with everyone!" _

"I can't Rach, you know. Washington has lots of buildings to be… well, built, and I'm in charge. If I leave, this place will turn into a massacre. No one, I repeat, _no one,_ could deal with the amount of stress that comes with this job."

"_But Annie! Malcolm wants to see you; Chiron wants to see you; Piper, Jason, Leo-" _

"I'm sorry, Rach, I want to come too-" That was a lie. I wanted nothing less than to revisit New York, the place where my life was crushed. "-But this job is too demanding. Rach, I gotta go- call you later?"

Rachel sighed. _"Fine. Bye." _

I clicked my phone off with an exasperated sigh. You think this is the first time Rachel asked me to visit New York? Think again.

My phone rang again. Sighing once more, I clicked it back on.

"Hello, Annabeth Chase."

"Annabeth! _She's here!" _That voice belonged to my best friend and coworker, Emery.

"Em? Who the Hades is _she?" _

And how could I ever forget to mention; Emery was a demigod. Daughter of Hades, escaped (was let out) of Camp Half-Blood on her 18th birthday. She was the one who helped me settle into Washington, get the gist of things; and end up not being completely overwhelmed on occasions.

"_CEO! As in, your freaking mother!"_

"Mom is here? Oh crap- fine, send her up, I'll wait in the conference room-" Em clicked off the phone. I stood up.

"Attention! CEO is here. Clean up your act and move!" I ordered. Everyone started bustling around, trying to make nice for the legendary architect; Athena Olympia. Of course, mom didn't care how the office was.

I just say that because it's very _The Devil Wears Prada. _

She was said to have talent greater than her namesake; if only they knew.

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my briefcase filled with the new designs and headed towards the conference room.

A few minutes later, mother-dearest arrived.

"Annabeth," she welcomed me.

"Hey mom. Anyways- I have the designs-"

"Not now. We have greater matters to discuss."

"Like what?"

"Sit down, Annabeth."

Blankly staring, I sat down. She followed.

"Annabeth, dear, not that I don't think your work here is simply fantastic," she began. My eyebrows furrowed as I saw what she was holding in her hands.

_A plane ticket. To New York._

I hoped it was for her; until she finished, that is.

"Well, you see dear, the New York office is running awfully late- and well, since you _are _the best of the Washington firm, I thought, _perhaps_, you'd consider moving back to New York-" I cut her off.

Me? New York? No way.

I spent six years running away from that life. My New York life. My demigod life.

Here I was normal; finally. I was accepted. People didn't know me as Wisdom's Daughter, Annabeth Chase, but as firm director of the Olympia, Washington office, Annabeth Chase.

I wasn't a monster-fighting teen.

I was an adult now. I lived on my own; did my own things. I went on dates and then ranted about them to my friends.

I was granted peace. Moving to New York would disrupt that.

I'd be facing monsters again (not that I didn't still face the occasional monster here in Washington. They were just rarer here), and I'd be called to Camp Half-Blood meetings.

I'd see Percy again.

_Percy. _

Even six years since I last saw him, my heart fluttered every time I thought of him. Him with the perfect eyes and hair and personality and body….

No. This was the kind of thing I had to learn how to avoid.

"Mom," I spoke up, "there is no chance in the freaking _Underworld _that I am moving back to New York!" My eyes felt blurry; and there was a reason.

"But Annabeth- you have to understand- it's important-"

"What? This company? I'm not moving to New York to run that office; send someone else!"

Athena looked me over, and I did the same to her.

I was wearing the crisp, new business suit Rachel sent over for my birthday. My hair was in the perfect curls from my teenage years. For the amount of stress placed on me; there were no wrinkles or dark circles under my eyes. I looked like someone married with a tween aged child, a big house with a back yard and swing-set, someone happy with their life.

Even if on the inside, I wasn't all that. Even if really, I was 27 and still single. No children were in my present- or future. How my apartment was a comfortable loft. How I was satisfied, and not satisfied with my life.

Athena was the opposite. She only looked about 30-or-so, and the dark circles under her eyes made her look older. How her suit was messed up, her bun in disarray, the look of pleading and surprise in her expression.

"Annabeth," Athena's voice was small, but firm. "Please. New York- just a few months. Then you can leave- I just need you to help."

I had never seen Athena look so helpless, which is probably what caused my answer.

"Two months. Any more and I run."

Percy

_Annabeth stormed out. I wanted to run after her, but all I could do was sit down on my bed. It took all my strength not to cry. Annabeth left. Annabeth left me. After everything we had been through, she was gone…._

I flashed back to my reality. I wasn't 21 and at Camp Half-Blood. I was 27 and at the library.

"Sam?" I asked. "Sam, where are you?"

"Here, daddy!" My four-year-old son replied.

"Are you ready yet? We have to go meet Aunt Reyna and Uncle Leo."

"Yeah, I got the book on architecture I wanted!"

I smiled as he walked towards me, clutching a book with graphic designs of buildings on front.  
This was my new life.

Not Annabeth. Not Camp Half-Blood.

This. My New York loft. My son.

I should explain.

Four and a half years ago, maybe two-three years after Annabeth 'dumped' me, I got a call. From Athena.

She asked me to come meet her at Olympus, and so I did. What did I learn?

Annabeth was thinking about me. That was the time she was about to come visit New York, and then suddenly not coming.

She thought about me. A lot. And then Athena discovered a few of her children have the same ability as her.

Brain children.

And _then _I learned that Athena had taken the child away from her. She didn't even know she had a baby. For the first six months, Athena raised the boy; nameless. And then she gave him to me.

Told me when the time is right, she'd take him back. My immediate reaction was to say, _"Hades no!" _But I couldn't. This was my son, right?

He looked like me. Messy black hair. Tall for his age. Whenever he wants anything he makes the pouty face that Piper calls, _'cute baby seal face. Gets it from his father.' _

But his eyes.

Athenian gray. Striking. Bright. Curious. Annabeth's.

Yes, because no matter how much I convinced myself Annabeth wouldn't find out about Sam, that he'd never know about his real mother, but the one I made up, 'Anne,' Sam still had the eyes of his mother.

Yeah, and, _'Anne' _died in car accident a few months after Sam was born. I didn't want to break it to him so early, but I did. Yeah.

So after Athena gave him to me, I was clueless. I was living under the apartment where Paul and mom lived. I told mom and that was it. For the first a few month, mom helped me.

Then I got the gist of things. I got a job at NYU as a research marine biologist, and whenever I had to go on swims, mom and Paul handled Sam.

My life was in a complete schedule.

Wake up, get Sam ready, drive Sam to school, drive to work, _work, _get stuff for dinner, pick up Sam, get dinner ready, eat, sleep, repeat.

And occasionally take him to the library. He might be raised by me but he still has Athena genes. Loves to ready. Doesn't need any help with homework.

Anyways, on this particular day, me and Sam drove to the library in order to fetch more books.

When I got _the call. _

We were halfway home. Caller ID? Olympus.

I couldn't pick up, so I kept driving. Sam played games on my iPhone.

When we arrived at the apartment, he grabbed his books and ran into his room. I picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Of course I knew who it was. Athena. She called every few weeks to talk to Sam. She was just Aunt A to him. He had no idea she was his grandmother.

"Perseus," Athena's voice was relieved; happy, almost.

"This is she-" what the Hades? "He! This is he."

"Perseus, Annabeth-" My heart sank. It always did whenever Annabeth's name was mentioned.

"What about her?" my tone was bitter. Of course I was mad at her. She left me and then because she missed me, I got stuck with a kid.

I mentally kicked myself for what I just thought. 'Stuck with'? No, I loved Sam.

"Perseus, Annabeth is back."

_What?_

**Hey guys. So I kind of abandoned fanfiction for a while, but I'm back, and hopefully better than ever! So I hope you all enjoy my new story! I've changed alot over the last few months and I'll hopefully have less swearing! This isn't an AU, by the way, they are demigods. **

**I'm just saying this because most of my stories were AUs. **

**Anyways, to catch up, I really love Ansel Elgort now. He's really cute. **

**Anyways, leave a review! :) **

**Ps. Sorry about any errors!**


	2. Chapter 2

To: Hunter of Artemis 140: Thanks! I assure you, that will be soon! Not this chapter, but soon! :)

Annabeth

I didn't believe the words as they came out of my mouth. I was going back to New York.

Oh gods.

_I was going back to New York. _

I was going to see all my old friends- Rachel, Piper, Katie- Chiron, so many others- but also- _Percy. _

Percy. I was going to see him again.

In that instant, I regretted my decision. Six years later and I still was not ready to face Percy; meaning I just wasn't over it and I shouldn't under _any _circumstances see him again for at least 10-14 years.

I wanted to yell, 'Wait! Never mind!' but I couldn't. Literally.

My throat had closed up. I felt like throwing up the poppy seed bagel I had eaten for breakfast. Suddenly everything hurt.

Athena smiled at me, before saying, "You won't regret this Annabeth- this- this is your chance." My chance at what? But before I could ask, she was gone.

The office work hours flew by quickly. I couldn't focus at all on the buildings I was drawing, and instead, my mind wandered to Percy.

_Percy, _  
Perfect Percy.

Pretty Percy.

Percy that I abandoned for reasons I don't even care about why.

All I remember is that I was angry- angry because some girl said she liked Percy too.

And slowly, I… drifted away, I guess. I wasn't so devoted to him, even though he was to me- all because I thought that girl would get him one day.

She was a year younger than me- beach blonde, blue eyes, tanned, even more gorgeous for a daughter of Aphrodite.

And now what? I don't even remember her name. Candice, or something.

I ruined my relationship with Percy because I couldn't handle jealousy. But… there is a chance Percy could've liked her. I mean, he could've had a crush on her. For all I know, he could have married her after I left. It had been _six _years.

_Married. _The thought made my eyes burn and throat close up.

I honestly thought me and Percy would end up together. Somewhere in the future, I thought he would forgive me. Why was it so hard for me to accept the fact that he could've moved on?

I finally decided this called for research.

Taking out my laptop, I searched _Perseus Jackson. _

Not much came up, so I looked up _Percy Jackson. _

Still not much. _Jackson, New York. _

Jackpot.

_Student at Goode High Blow Up Gym- Inside the Life of Percy Jackson. _Nah, that was from years ago.

_Paul Blofis and Sally Jackson- Local New Yorkers' Wedding Gets Interrupted by a Startling Wave_

_Youngest Student Ever To Win A Spelling Bee- Samuel-_

I couldn't finish reading. A large noise startled me. When I looked to the window, an owl- a gray owl- was staring at me with wide eyes.

It flew off- and as I turned around, Emery was there, a stern look on her pale face.

"You wanna explain why you looked up 'Jackson'?"

Crap.

"It's not what you think, Em-"

"Then what is it, Annabeth?" Oh. No _'Annie' _or _'Beth.' _Shit just got serious. "Because whenever I've talked to you these past few weeks, all you've been doing is mooning over Percy Jackson. And there's no reason too! He's in New York- and you're here! I bet he's already married with kids- and you keep turning down great guys!"

I looked at her suspiciously. "How do you know if he's married or not?"

She stared at me, exasperated. "Annie, you've. Gone. _Paranoid. _Stop whining over Jackson and move on! You're the one who dumped him, right?" She expected me to answer. Shit.

"Yes."

"And _you're _the one who left New York, right?"  
"Yes."

"And _you're _the one who only left because she was tired of New York and gods and the demigod life, right?"

"Yes."

"So move on, already! I mean, it's _so _obvious Dan has a crush on you! Go out with him to dinner, next Friday and-"

"I can't."

"That's what you say _every time! _'I can't date that super hot rich CEO because he doesn't like pancakes' and 'I simply cannot go out with that man in the library whose super hot and likes to read because he's wearing _blue'_ and-"

"No," I cut her off, "I mean, I _can't. _I'm moving to New York."

"_What?"_

"Mom came in earlier, right? Because she wanted to tell me the New York office is slagging, and she wanted me over there for a few months. FYI, you're coming too."

"_What?!"_

"Oh, and, coincidentally, we'll be visiting Camp every few days. Just to check in."

"_What the actual living fu-" _

"Watch your language, Em."

She stared at me, horror struck, stands from her black side-braid falling out into her piercing black eyes. It was a strange combination with her pale olive skin and pink lips, but it worked on her.

"No! No! NO! I am _not _moving to New York with _you!_"

"Why must you address me in such a hostile way?"

"Not the time, Annabeth. Not. The. Time."

"Come on, it can't be that bad!" Oh who was I kidding? This change was for the worst. But I had to take it… I wanted to take it. I was tired of living my life in the perfect routine. Back in New York, random quests and stolen items passed my days. Hanging out with my friends; practicing my skills.

Here, my time was spent in an office with a bunch of mortals that jumped when a door screeched.

"Annabeth, who are you trying to fool? You said yourself, _'I'm never going back to my life in New York! It sucked. And I'm happy.' _Why are you trying to fit back in? To see Percy? Is that it?"

I felt my face burn. Of course.

Of course it was Percy. Why else would I be so happy?

No matter how much I kept saying I'd never go back to New York, I'd always secretly been saying _'I'll never go back to Percy.' _Not New York.

New York had nothing to do with it. I loved Camp. It was amazing. But I couldn't go back to Percy; not after what happened.

But a part of me still wanted to. It wanted me to take this small risk; just so I could know I took it, so whenever I was eighty-something and in a retirement home, I could look back and say, _At least I tried._ I wouldn't have to live with the burden of thinking _what could've happened? Would he have forgave me? Would we be together? Would we have children of our own? Would we be happy? _

So I was taking this risk.

And besides, what were the chances he'd even remember me?

Percy

Annabeth.

Not a day went by that I didn't think of her.

Not when I would be out on a date with a girl I liked. Not when I was with my son. Not even when I was washing the dishes.

And every time, it hurt. I still felt a pang in my heart.

Why? Because obviously, even six years later, I still liked her. It didn't matter if she didn't love me anymore; if she had completely forgotten about me. If she was married with children of her own- children that she actually _knew _about.

I did not still love her. I will never.

And now she was coming here. To my home.

_To my son. _

Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap.

I hadn't even acknowledged the fact that she would probably end up meeting Sam.  
Crap.

"_Perseus? Perseus? Hello?"  
_"Yeah, yeah, I'm here. Sorry, um, dozed off, did I hear you correctly? Annabeth is coming back to New York?"

"Yes. I think it's about time she found out about Samuel," Athena said. And then she hung up.

_Shit. _

Annabeth was going to find out about Sam? No.

I mean, I spent years raising Sam _away _from Annabeth! I was all packed and ready to move to California and settle in Camp Jupiter, raise Sam under the careful watch of myself, Reyna, Leo, and Nico (who had ended up moving to Camp Jupiter), and then I remembered Annabeth's father lived in California, and she visited him every few months, and then staying at Camp Jupiter for a few days. Was I willing to risk it? No.

That's why I moved nowhere, staying in New York and raising my son like I had been raised, in New York.

And now Annabeth was coming here.

Great.

And maybe it wasn't great in literally _every _way.

Firstly, if she was to meet Sam, how would I even introduce her? I told him his mother died.

People don't just _die _and come back. Minus Hazel. She's not included.

But seriously, I had no way of explaining to my four-year-old son that his mother was suddenly alive again.

Secondly, I do not have any feelings for Annabeth.

Hatred, maybe, but no feelings of _love. _Why? Because I don't.

I might, if you know, she had stayed with me and hadn't been so angered by some random girl saying she liked me, but no.

And thirdly, it was _Annabeth. _No matter how much I claimed to hate her (see above), she was still Annabeth. She was still the girl I fell in love with over the course of five years. She was still the girl that went on my first quest with me, kissed me in front of St. Helen's Mountain. She'd still be my first love.

Yes, but I still don't _love _her.

Setting the phone down, I got to work. Dinner.

As I prepared the macaroni and cheese, my mind wandered over what it used to be like. I don't even know why.

I remember the Stolls running into my cabin and finding Annabeth there (we were JUST cuddling!) and then them telling Chiron.

That was a funny day.

Man, I haven't even seen Travis's new baby. I thought they were naming me godfather because-

"DADDY!" Sam's small voice rang through the empty apartment.

"Coming Sam!" I shouted back.

I walked into his (blue) room, and he was sitting on his bed, the architecture book open in front of him, clutching his small index finger.

"What happened Sam?" I asked, perching myself on the bed as well.

He looked at me with watery eyes. "Paper cut."

"Ooh, those suck," I said. He nodded. "Okay, let's wash the cut and put a bandage over it. Sound right?"

"Yeah, I think," he said.

Laughing, I picked him up, carrying him to the bathroom. While Sam washed his hands, I pulled out a band aid. Once he was done, I wrapped it around his finger, and then carried him to the kitchen where we found the… oh crap.

"The macaroni!" Sam shouted. Yup… it was burnt.

Me and Sam looked at each other. At the same time, we both said, "Pizza?"

I laughed. "Pepperoni?" I asked him.

He nodded again.

That was the kind of relationship we had. Mostly laughs and funny moments. With Annabeth here, that would change, wouldn't it?

Wouldn't Annabeth be constantly taking him to visit museums and such? Wouldn't she just be intruding on a normal, father-son family?!

And then I remembered what Athena had told me when I said I wouldn't give Sam back to Annabeth.

_Every son needs a mother figure. _

I had replied with, _Well I can be both!_

But obviously he needed Annabeth.

He needed Annabeth as much I needed her.

**Hey guys! Second update in a row; not too bad… Anyways, thank you all for the follows & favorites & reviews! **

**:/ I'm sick so this is the second day I've stayed home.. but no school :) **

**Question for you all: In your review, state your celebrity crush. Mine's Ansel Elgort :P **

**Anyways, leave a review :) **

**~graceless angels**

**Ps. Sorry for any errors!**


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